www.idealhomeshowchristmas.co.uk

The Ideal Home Show Christmas is a great day out for all the family and brings the spirit of Christmas alive.

The Ideal Home Show Christmas brings together over 600 companies, hundreds of free talks and great ideas from a team of home experts. After visiting the show, you will be full of inspiring ideas, on-trend festive solutions for your home and ideas for amazing gifts for friends and family.

The show houses a huge range of exhibiting companies so you can start your Christmas shopping all under one roof. The selection of Christmas decorations, hand crafted gifts, hampers and festive favourites will definitely inspire you to create a memorable Christmas this year.

When visiting the show with my partner and two children we loved how festive we automatically felt when we arrived. The main entrance was full of snow covered Christmas trees and a red Santa sleigh, which made the perfect background for photos. There was also a stall right outside roasting chestnuts!

There was so much to do inside this show and we loved listening to the festive entertainment from the Christmas bandstand. We also enjoyed looking at all the Christmas stalls and picked up so many ideas for our own home. The Good Homes Roomsets were great as they showcased the latest looks for homeware and showcased the season’s on-trend colours and festive decoration ideas to help give your home a magical feel this year.

The Eat and Drink Festival was a fantastic addition to the show. Here we could watch chefs cooking live, enjoy drinks masterclass and shop from a selection of street food vendors.

I would definitely recommend visiting the Ideal Home Show Christmas as we all had a wonderful day out and picked up some lovely ideas for the home and gifts.

The show is back next year at Olympia London on 25^th November – 29^th November 2020. To book tickets visit www.idealhomeshowchristmas.co.uk

 www.towerbridge.org.uk

London has so many wonderful sights and attractions and is a great place to visit. A visit to Tower Bridge and The Monument to the Great Fire of London is a must if you are looking for an enjoyable day out in the capital.

Tower Bridge is currently celebrating its 125^th Anniversary as it was officially opened on 30^th June 1894 by the Prince and Princess of Wales (The future King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra). To celebrate one of London’s most loved landmarks, Tower Bridge has a range of events that are taking place throughout the year so visitors can discover more about its history.

A Happy Birthday Sir Horace event is available until November 2019. This celebrates the 200^th birthday of the Tower Bridge architect, Sir Horace Jones in the historic Engine Rooms. During this event, families can play games, carry out a treasure hunt and take part in a Victorian photo opportunity.

There are also lots of other family activities available, making Tower Bridge a perfect day out for families. Each month, Tower Bridge will dedicate a whole day to family friendly activities inside Tower Bridge. Tower Bridge are also giving Family Activities Passes to children who have visited one of the events. The Family Activity Pass allows children and their families FREE entry into Tower Bridge on any Family Activity Day within 6 months of visiting.

Tower Bridge is a great day out. I visited with my family and we loved learning about the history of Tower Bridge. We also loved walking over the glass floor and took plenty of photos there!

The Monument to the Great Fire of London is also another great place to visit and stands at the junction of Monument Street and Fish Street. This Monument is one of the City of London’s most outstanding visitor attractions. It is a 202ft column that remembers the Great Fire of London and celebrates the City which rose from the ashes after the fire. Visitors can climb the 311 spiral steps and enjoy the wonderful panoramic views of London.

Both The Tower of London and The Monument to the Great Fire of London are great places in London to visit.  Visitors will love learning about the history of the City as well as enjoy the stunning views of London. For more information visit www.towerbridge.org.uk and www.themonument.org.uk

www.buyagift.co.uk

Buyagift is a website that allows you to choose gifts of a lifetime for loved ones. The wide range of gifts on Buyagift means you will find a gift to suit everyone. Whether you are looking for experiences for children, adults, families or couples you will be able to choose the ideal gift from this website.

Finding the perfect gift is not always easy as you want to give something special to loved ones. What is great about Buyagift is that you can give a gift that will help others create wonderful, happy memories that will stay with them forever.

The wide range of gifts from this website ensures you will find the perfect gift for any recipient. The process is very simple, you just look through the website and find the perfect gift. You then make your purchase and a voucher will be sent to you by email or post. This voucher can be given to the recipient and they can log on to the voucher website and contact the provider to book the experience. They can then choose the best date and time. Some experiences do not have to be booked in advance and you can simply visit the experience with your voucher.

When I used Buyagift, I went to visit the Shard with my husband and two children. We did not have to book in advance and simply took the voucher to the Shard and enjoyed this experience. The View from the Shard was amazing. When we visited it was a clear, sunny day and the views were spectacular. From the top of the Shard, we had a 360-degree panoramic view of London which stretched to 40 miles around. We could see so many sights of London and we loved spotting the places that we had previously visited as well spotting some of the popular London attractions.

When we reached the top of the Shard we took our time enjoying the view with an ice-cream- the perfect snack on a hot day. The Shard was fairly busy when we visited but we could still see the whole view all the way around the Shard and did not feel rushed at all when we were up there. It was thoroughly enjoyable day and we are so glad we visited.  The price for this experience for two adults and two children was £85.00.

Buyagift has lots of experiences with the Shard.  To see the full range visit www.buyagift.co.uk.

www.downhall.co.uk

Down Hall is a beautiful historic country house hotel and spa located in the gorgeous Hertfordshire countryside.  It is a wonderful place to visit with the whole family as it offers a range of activities to keep both adults and children amused and entertained. The range of activities include a wonderful spa for adults and mini-golf, archery, a woodland walk, giant games and a lovely playing field and playground for children.  Paradise Wildlife Park is also close by so you can add a fun-filled day out to your visit.

I visited Down Hall with my husband and two children and we all thoroughly enjoyed our visit. My children especially liked playing mini-golf and archery. My son also enjoyed playing chess with giant pieces on a giant chess board.

When visiting, the first thing we noticed was how exquisite the grounds of Down Hall are. The historic house is absolutely charming and is surrounded by beautiful gardens and fields. We visited on a sunny day and the water features and flowers looked stunning in the sunlight.

We also had Afternoon Tea during our visit which was loved by all four of us. Down Hall offers an adult option and a children’s option for Afternoon Tea. The adult option included a selection of sandwiches (Ham, Cucumber and Dijon mustard, Smoked Salmon and Cream Cheese, Smoked Cheese and Garden Chutney and Cucumber and Chive Cream Cheese), a courgette, tomato and chive tart, 2 scones, chocolate and beetroot cake, carrot cake and a strawberry flower pot. This afternoon was really good and we thoroughly enjoyed every part of it.

The Children’s Woodland Adventure Afternoon Tea was also lovely. Included in this Afternoon tea was Honey Roast Ham and Jam finger sandwiches, Buttermilk plain scones with Tiptree preserves, a chocolate flower pot (with an edible pot!), Carrot Cake and a Bunny Rabbit shortbread. Soft drinks were also included. The presentation of this afternoon tea was gorgeous. The sandwiches, scones and cakes were all presented on a wooden board and the chocolate pot was placed on its side with chocolate shavings spilling out of it which looked like mud. The cost of these afternoon teas were £30.00 per person for the adult option and £15.00 per person for the children’s option.

Down Hall is an ideal place for families to visit as both adults and children’s needs are catered for and everyone will enjoy their visit. Down Hall are currently offering packages for families including a Paradise Wildlife Package which includes Bed and Breakfast for 2 adults and 2 children and entrance to the park. The cost of this package is £159.00 Monday to Thursday and £199.00 Friday to Sunday. Another great package includes children staying and eating for free. This package is £179.00 and is based on 2 children (under 12) sharing with parents.

For more information visit www.downhall.co.uk.

www.yuukitchen.com

If you are looking for a fabulous night out in London, the new Yuu Kitchen at ICEBAR London will not disappoint.

At the end of June Yuu Kitchen launched its latest residency at ICEBAR London. The Yuu Kitchen’s menu is inspired by the Head Chef’s heritage and travels across south-east Asia. The Head Chef also brings in his experience at Nobu London, making the pan-Asian and Fillipino menu sensational.

When I visited Yuu Kitchen I adored walking down an atmospheric mural staircase that transported me to the edgy underground scene of a Japanese street with moody lighting. The menu has a wonderful range of dishes to choose from and I have to admit I found it difficult to decide what to eat as everything sounded lovely! Yuu Kitchen advises customers to choose 3-4 dishes per person, so my husband and I decided to choose different dishes so we could try each other’s dishes too.

From the menu we chose the Wagu Bao, the Crispy Soft Shell Crab Bao, Baby Octopus Karrage, Grilled Broccoli, Crispy Cabbage salad, Cheesy Cheeseburger Spring Rolls, Bistek and Chicken Karaage. The food was absolutely divine. The dishes were full of flavour and the Bao buns were wonderfully soft. The flavours from south-east Asia had a fabulous London twist. The Cheesy Cheeseburger Spring Rolls were a wonderful blend of the different cultures and worked really well together. The desserts were also delicious and my husband and I really enjoyed our meal. The staff were also very friendly and attentive and made brilliant suggestions about dishes when we asked. Yuu Kitchen is a fabulous restaurant to visit with delicious food, a great atmosphere and wonderful staff.

After our meal we also visited the ICEBAR. This bar compliments the décor of Yuu Kitchen with their amazing dragon ice sculptures. In the ICEBAR everything around you is sculpted from ice; the bar, tables, glasses and ice sculptures. Temperatures are kept at -5ºC and tickets also include a drink from the bar. You are given a warm overcoat to wear before entering the ICEBAR as the temperature is so low in the bar. ICEBAR is a brilliant experience and is a different way to enjoy a drink in London.

My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed our visit to both Yuu Kitchen and ICEBAR and I would definitely recommend visiting them both.

For more information about Yuu Kitchen at ICEBAR London visit www.yuukitchen.com.

From 26^th May 2018, the UK’s largest inflatable aqua park returns to Rutland Water in Leicestershire. The park is now 100m wide and features climbing walls, trampolines, balance bars, rockers, rollers and the UK’s biggest jumps and slides.

Due to the high interest already received, visitors are encourage to pre-book at www.aquaparkrutland.co.uk. Tickets for the park are priced at £20.00 off-peak and £22.00 peak for a 50 minute session. Tickets for The Beats II are separate and cost £20.00 off-peak and £22.00 peak with a minimum age of 18 years old.

Visitors to the park must be eight years and over, 1.3m tall and be able to swim 50 metres unaided in a buoyancy vest. Buoyancy vests are provided and wetsuits are included in the ticket price.

Aqua Park Rutland is located at Bull Rig Lane, Whitwell, Oakham, Rutland, LE15 8BL and can be contacted on:

• 01780 693 201
• info@aquaparkrutland.co.uk
• On Facebook: facebook.com/AquaParkRutland/
• On Twitter: @AquaParkRutland
• On Instagram: @AquaParkRutland

Sunborn London

For summer, the Sunborn London super yacht hotel is delighted to announce the launch of its pop-up champagne deck, in partnership with Laurent-Perrier. This wonderful summer pop-up serves specially-created champagne cocktails alongside bespoke canapés in an elegant outdoor setting on the top deck of Sunborn’s luxurious yacht overlooking London’s scenic city skyline.

The pop-up is running from 27th April – 3rd September 2018 and will be open daily from noon-10pm.  Moored in the Royal Victoria Docks, the sleek Sunborn yacht offers breath-taking views across the London cityscape, with sophisticated interiors drawing upon classic sailing glamour.

The Suborn London is located at Royal Victoria Dock, London, E16 1AA.

The phone number is +44 (0) 203 714 8111 and the email address is info@sunbornlondon.com.

For more information visit www.sunbornhotels.com/london/location/

The Pommery Dorset Seafood Festival

This award-winning festival takes place on 14^th and 15^th July around Weymouth’s picturesque harbour. This festival is free to attend and is a great day out for all the family, with chef demos and gorgeous seafood and champagne. The Pommery Dorset Seafood Festival attracts over 50, 000 people from across the country and raises funds for the Fisherman’s Mission- a vital port of call for fishermen and their families.

This festival offers so much more than food and drink, with organisers working hard to enrich the visitor experience exploring the seafood journey.  Highlights include:

Badger Sett– This year, you can Learn more about Dorset’s favourite beers in these delicious tasting sessions.   Expert tutorials, tastings and food pairing  with Hall & Woodhouse experts Mark Woodhouse, Chairman  and Toby Heasman, Head Brewer.   At the Ship inn, Custom House Quay. Only £5 person

Seafood Trail- Put your thinking caps on and your best foot forward to explore this free family friendly trail. Search for clues high and low along old harbour, and up and around the beautiful Nothe Gardens. Meet the Nothe mice, play traditional games at the stone pier and keep an eye out for questions to complete your trail. With an incredible family holiday to be won at one of Dream Cottages 5* Weymouth properties and fun activities to see and do along the way, the Dream Dorset Trail is the perfect family addition to the Seafood Festival.

• The trail will run from 10am-4pm Saturday 14^thand Sunday 15^th July
• Maps will be provided by Dream Cottages for free
• The first 500 children per day will win an artisan edible medal
• You must complete the trail questions to be in with a chance of winning.

The Kids Zone- The Fishermen’s Mission will be curating a family workshop – free for all the family! With Pottery making and basket weaving for all the family to get stuck in with. Materials are provided, and helpers are on hand to aid with the creative flow!

Demo Stage- Confirmed chefs so far include; Saturday: Sophie Michell, Neil Rankin & Ed Baines and the Sunday chefs include much loved Duncan Lucas, CJ Jackson from Billingsgate and Pete Murt from Rick Steins.

For more information, visit www.dorsetseafood.co.uk or follow them on Twitter @dorsetseafood or Facebook Dorset Seafood Festival.

Paus

Paus is a new Scandinavian lifestyle trend to appear in the Cambridgeshire countryside. Paus is inspired by the Scandis’ laid back lifestyle and love affair with water and wood. It is a new relaxation centre comprising wood fired, red cedar hot tubs and sauna in the picturesque hill top of Bourn. All the tubs are exposed to the natural elements so bathers can enjoy a canopy of vast sky and acres of rolling countryside

Paus is set to open in July and visitors will enjoy soaking in the wood fired tubs, whilst sipping a complimentary drink of choice. Cool pools provide an opportunity to refresh before heading to the Terraza where a range of delicious, healthy meze can be enjoyed sat by the open fire. PAUS will also be hosting a number of exclusive events throughout the year, from outdoor cinemas to yoga, hands-on workshops and author’s readings. Tickets will be on a first come first served basis.

Tickets will range from £35 to £80 for a day’s relaxation and can be purchased from the PAUS website and memberships will be available nearer the launch. Walk-ins are welcome but this will be on a first come first served basis, as space is limited.

For more information visit www.pauscambridge.com.

thetradinghouse.uk.com

The Trading House in London is an elegant restaurant that serves exquisite, high quality food. This restaurant is the ideal place to go if you want to experience a relaxed atmosphere with the finest food and drink.

I visited The Trading House with my wife and we both adored the ambience of the restaurant and bar, as well as the delicious food.  One of the first things we noticed was how all the staff were very helpful, polite and attentive. Our waiter for the evening was Oktave and he was very helpful and polite. He continued checking on us throughout the evening and recommended a wonderful wine to accompany our meal.

The food at The Trading House was excellent.  They have recently introduced a new menu and the choice of food was very good. I enjoyed the Rotisserie Chicken Wings to start.  I tried the homemade brown sauce and a sweet chilli sauce and both the condiments were delicious and complemented the chicken beautifully.  My wife had the Rotisserie Duck Rillette which was served with fig chutney and baked granary toast. We both enjoyed the starters and found the portion sizes excellent and the food tasted wonderful.

For our main course we both tried The Trading House’s signature Hanging Kebabs. There is a wonderful range of options to choose from and not only do these hanging kebabs look great but they taste amazing too.  I tried the Chicken Hanging Kebab which was served with garlic butter and seasoned chips. The waiter poured the garlic butter over the kebabs after bringing them to our table and this made the chicken taste divine.  My wife tried the Tandoori Cod and King Prawn Hanging Kebabs and this was served with pilau rice and coriander and mint yoghurt.  She too enjoyed this main course and we both thought the presentation of these kebabs was fantastic.

The desserts ended the meal perfectly and were just as delicious. There was a great choice of desserts and we did find choosing one difficult as we would’ve loved to have tried them all! After much thinking we decided on the Chocolate and Peanut Butter Pudding and the Sticky Toffee Pudding. Both were excellent choices.

Our visit to The Trading House was fantastic. We spent an evening enjoying wonderful food and great service in a relaxed, welcoming atmosphere. I would definitely recommend a visit to The Trading House.

For further information and to book a table visit thetradinghouse.uk.com

www.roast-restaurant.com

Roast Restaurant is a fabulous restaurant located in London’s iconic Borough Market. It uses the finest seasonal produce from British farmers and producers, with many of their ingredients coming from Borough Market’s own stalls. Roast Restaurant is the perfect place for couples, families and friends to relax and enjoy a wonderful meal together.

I visited the restaurant with my husband and we had a wonderful time, both the food and service was excellent. The ambience of the restaurant was fantastic and all the staff were welcoming, friendly and efficient.

The food at Roast was superb. For starters I had Pan-fried chicken livers with pickled onion barley risotto and lovage pesto. This starter was delicious and the chicken livers were cooked perfectly. My husband had Chorizo Scotch egg with piccalilli and this too tasted delicious. The Chorizo added something extra special to the scotch egg and the piccalilli was the perfect accompaniment.

There was a wide variety of main dishes to choose from so there was plenty of choice for us. I chose 48-Day dry aged roast beef with Yorkshire pudding, rosemary roasties and horseradish cream, with a side of winter vegetables. This dish was wonderful. The beef was cooked medium rare which was perfect and the Yorkshire pudding and potatoes were deliciously crisp. The winter vegetables were also a lovely addition to this traditional British roast dinner. I thoroughly enjoyed this meal and thought this dish was outstanding. For his main dish, my husband chose Hereford sirloin steak on the bone (400g) with chimichurri and chips and a side of creamed spinach. The steak was cooked perfectly for him and the accompaniments were also delicious. We both thought the portion sizes were excellent and there was definitely enough food for us both.

To accompany the meal the sommelier chose a wonderful wine for us. The wine chosen was Unoaked Chardonnay 2014, Chapel Down, Tenterden, Kent.  This wine is a pure English Chardonnay made entirely without oak to showcase the freshness and vivacity of the fruit. This wine has lovely aromas of apple, lime, apricot and pineapple.

The desserts we had were just as delicious as the starters and main dishes. I had a comforting Bramley apple crumble with Yorkshire forced rhubarb and hazelnuts with an English vanilla custard. This dessert was the perfect end to the meal and was an ideal dessert for a crisp cold winter’s evening. My husband had Warm chocolate pudding with salted peanut mousse and black cherry yoghurt ice cream. This too was a wonderful dessert to end our meal.

Our evening at Roast Restaurant was fabulous. The atmosphere in the restaurant, the service and the food was outstanding. This restaurant is perfect for any occasion whether you are meeting friends after work, celebrating with family or if you want a date night with a loved one, this restaurant is perfect. Roast is also a family friendly restaurant and runs a Kids Eat Free offer throughout the school holidays, where each child under 12, who dines with a full paying adult, eats free. I would definitely recommend a visit to Roast Restaurant.

www.magicallantern.uk/london  

The Magical Lantern Festival London at Chiswick House and Gardens is a must see this Christmas.  This wonderful festival is hosted in the gorgeous landscaped grounds of Chiswick House and Gardens and showcases a stunning Lantern trail that illuminates the gardens spectacularly.

I visited the festival with my husband and two children and thought the Lantern Trail was out of this world, as going through the trail we entered a magical experience and discovered life-size lanterns in all shapes and forms.  The paths, gardens and lakes were illuminated beautifully by the lanterns and we loved seeing what the trail was going to bring us next. Every corner we turned brought us to another spectacular lantern scene that we all adored.

The lantern trail showcased many different scenes and sculptures including a stunning Noah’s Ark scene. My children loved seeing the animals around the large Ark and loved spotting all the different animals as we walked around the scene. Other scenes included a row of snowmen that welcomed us as we entered the park, Santa on his sleigh with his reindeers, diving dolphins surrounded by sea life and plants and penguins on ice.  These scenes were amazing to look at and the vibrant colours and lights looked stunning against the dark night sky. Another wonderful sculpture that my daughter adored was a huge colourful peacock lantern whose feathers were also lit up with bright pink rope lights. The Christmas scenes along the trail were also beautiful and got us into the Christmas spirit very quickly.

Along the trail was also a place where you could stop and get a deliciously warm hot chocolate or warm, comforting mulled wine.  You could also purchase a huge marshmallow that you could then toast on a large pit of burning coals. We each bought a marshmallow to toast and they were gorgeous. I tried the orange and mango flavour, my children tried the vanilla flavour and my husband tried the toasted coconut marshmallow.  These marshmallows were delicious and my children loved toasting them on the open fire.

At the end of the trail was the entertainment section. This included a few rides and food and drink stalls. It is also the home of Santa’s Grotto. This is a small grotto but the experience was definitely magical for my children. The Santa was brilliant and interacted with the children very well. He even explained how his sleigh flies with the help of Mrs Claus’ ‘lighter than air’ cupcakes! The Santa’s Grotto was a lovely way to end the trail.

The food and drink stalls had a range of food on offer including roasted chestnuts, burgers and Bratwurst. We also had a go on the bumper cars which we all loved.

The Magical Lantern Festival is a wonderful family-friendly festival to visit this Christmas. Christmas has definitely arrived!

Ticket prices are from £11.21 and additional prices include family tickets, concessions and group tickets. The price for Santa’s Grotto is £10.00 a ticket. The festival is open from 5pm to 10pm with the last entry at 9pm. The festival runs from 24^th November 2017 – 1^st January 2018.

www.mangotree.org.uk

My visit to The Mango Tree Thai restaurant in Belgravia was exceptional. Both the service and food were exquisite and my partner and I thoroughly enjoyed our experience at this restaurant.

The Mango Tree restaurant is a stylish, trendy restaurant that serves exquisite Thai food. The staff were extremely friendly and we experienced the welcoming Thai hospitality from the outset.

When we arrived at the restaurant we were seated in the bar area where we tasted some of the new summer cocktails that The Mango Tree had just launched.  They have created 5 delicious cocktails that represent five wonderful Thai islands.   I tried the Samui cocktail which is a wonderful combination of Tequila, pineapple juice, honey syrup, coconut cream, coconut milk and fresh lime juice. This cocktail was delicious and was presented beautifully. My partner tried the Phi Phi cocktail which is a combination of vodka, blue Curacao, Moscatod’asti and lemonade. This cocktail was extremely refreshing and was served in its own bottle that you shake and pour into the glass yourself. The striking blue colour of the cocktail and the glimmering liquid was amazing and not only did the cocktail look impressive but it also tasted exceptional. In addition to these two cocktails, The Mango Tree also has another three cocktails available from their summer range. This included the Lipe cocktail which is Gin mare, fresh rosemary, fresh berries and tonic. This cocktail was a deep purple colour and had berries frozen in ice cubes and once these melted the taste of the cocktail was amazing. Another cocktail available is the Phuket cocktail that combines strawberry syrup, peach liqueur, lychee juice topped with champagne. The fifth cocktail on their summer menu is Pha Ngan. This cocktail combines Ketal one vodka, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, pepper, salt, lemon juice, tomato juice, celery and tom yum soup.

After we had enjoyed the ambience of the bar area we were seated to our table. The staff were extremely helpful and recommended some amazing dishes. To start our meal we had Chicken satay skewers which were served on its own grill. The chicken was wonderfully succulent and the peanut sauce to accompany the dish was outstanding.  We also ordered the soft-shell crab tempura that was served with a Thai mango salad. The tempura was deliciously crispy and the mango salad was beautifully fresh and fiery that complimented the tempura wonderfully.

For our main dishes we had roasted corn-fed poussin that is marinated in coconut milk, lemongrass, turmeric and line leaves. This was served with papaya salad and a spicy sour sauce.  We also had slices of roasted duck on a bed of pak choi, served with exotic sweet and sour tamarind sauce. To accompany our main dishes we had beautiful jasmine rice and stir fried egg noodles with soya sauce. Our food was divine and the Thai flavours of each dish were amazing.

To finish our meal we had the Three Chocolate Cake, a sponge based cake with milk, dark and white chocolate mousse and the Guay Ob Ma Prow Sod, a sponge base with pistachio filling with a layer of banana pudding topped with caramel sauce. Our desserts finished our meal beautifully as both tasted amazing.